"The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: 'By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, killing a believer is more grievous before Allah than the extinction of the whole world.'"
The Book of Fighting [The Prohibition of Bloodshed] - Sunan an-Nasa'i 3986
"The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: 'By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, killing a believer is more grievous before Allah than the extinction of the whole world.'"
Commentary on the Hadith
This profound hadith from Sunan an-Nasa'i establishes the supreme sanctity of a Muslim's life. The Prophet's emphatic oath "By the One in Whose Hand is my soul" underscores the absolute certainty and gravity of this divine truth.
Scholars explain that the "extinction of the whole world" refers to the complete destruction of the entire universe and all its inhabitants. Yet the murder of one believer carries greater weight in Allah's scales than this cosmic catastrophe. This demonstrates that the rights of Allah's servants are of paramount importance.
Imam al-Suyuti comments that this hadith establishes the maximum prohibition against shedding Muslim blood. The comparison to world destruction emphasizes that no worldly consideration - whether political, tribal, or personal - can justify this ultimate transgression.
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani notes that the specification "believer" indicates the special protection afforded to Muslims, while other narrations extend similar protections to non-Muslims under Muslim covenant. The fundamental principle remains: human life is sacred and its unjust termination constitutes one of the major sins (kaba'ir).
Legal and Spiritual Implications
This hadith forms the foundation for Islamic criminal law regarding homicide. It establishes that unlawful killing requires both worldly punishment and ultimate divine accountability.
The spiritual consequence is that the killer, without sincere repentance, risks eternal punishment as the hadith suggests the gravity of the sin surpasses even the destruction of creation itself.
Scholars derive from this that preserving life is among the primary objectives of Islamic law (maqasid al-shari'ah), taking precedence over most other considerations in both individual and communal affairs.